Annotated bibliographies are collections on reference/sources that focus on one theme. Usually they are constructed as part of research and used to inform and remind the writer of what the various sources contain. They also evaluate the sources for their usefulness to a project you’re gathering resources for.
There are many benefits to knowing how and why to create an annotated bibliography including;
1. Learning how to read and evaluate a source critically
2. Developing the ability to summarize and evaluate sources in brief
3. Learning how to create correct citations
4. Developing an understanding of how to collect sources and to provide useful notes for later reference
Annotated bibliographies can take various forms, but all have the purpose of gathering sources, building full bibliographic citations, and summarizing the source.
Each source that is listed and summarized in the bibliography is called an entry. Do not confuse “bibliography” with “works cited”. In MLA the works cited goes at the end of your research writing and only includes the sources you’ve cited in your work. A bibliography contains sources both used and consulted for a project (not necessarily only those cited in the work). An interesting point to note is that annotated bibliographies can also contain entries for sources you will NOT use in a final piece–as in, you’ve evaluated the source and have determined it is not a good one to use for the project you’re working on. By giving yourself notes to consult later you can prevent yourself from accidentally reviewing the same source twice and/or you can alert others who do similar research (in your view) the source has some flaws.
Your assignment
1. Develop and identify an appropriate research question related to eating disorders. [Please develop a specific question that you will research – not a general question such as ‘what are eating disorders’.] Your research question should be highlighted at the top of the annotated bibliography. Your instructor should not have to search for your research question, it should be CLEARLY identified.
Narrowing a topic – Identifying Research Question
2. Identify three references that might be appropriate for your research question. One reference needs to be an academic article from the library database (use “Find it” to locate your library resource). The other two references can be websites or other non library sources.
Selecting Key Words for your Search
Find It – HCC Database Tutorial
3. Make sure your references (above) are in APA or MLA format.
4. For each reference, provide a two paragraph summary. Summaries are what the source/reference is about or what the author covers in the writing. It does NOT include a lot of details. However, summaries should include:
-Thesis and conclusion the author draws (one paragraph)
-Does the source pass the CRAAP test? Summarize -Is the author/source credible (From a reliable or well-known organization/journal? Is the author an expert on the topic (or if the article is written by a reporter, do they quote others who are expert? How recent was this article? How relevant is this source for your research question? Be sure to clearly explain why this is a relevant source or not. Would you use this source for information related to your research question? (one paragraph)
Please review spelling and grammar.
Please feel free to review the sample annotated bibliography for examples of the summary (example attached above).
Instructor’s Note: Do not use AI for this assignment; this should be your own writing.
Notes: I have provided you with 1 article needed from my school’s library website please find the other 2. They should be good sources. Also choose between MLA or APA don’t use both of them.